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    4 steps to successfully laying carpet

    Published on 21 January 2016, Thursday, 9:23 PM
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    There are few areas of your home that endure as much daily punishment as your carpet. From the hundreds of steps taken on it each day, to the constant stress of supporting your furniture, floor coverings are expected to hold up to a huge amount of strain.

    It's not surprising then that you might need to replace your home's carpeting from time to time. Most floor coverings are designed to be durable enough to withstand years of use and abuse, but obviously nothing lasts forever. The good news is, with the right know-how and equipment, you don't necessarily have to bring in an expensive contractor to lay your new carpets, you can actually do it yourself.

    And it can certainly be an expensive job. According to IBISWorld's Carpet and Textile Floor Covering Manufacturing Market Research Report, the industry generates $844 million annually in Australia. When you're planning out your most affordable strategy for breathing new life into your floors, you'll be happy to know that Kennards Hire has all the necessary equipment.

    Step 1: Start with a smooth surface

    The secret to a smooth, even installation of carpet starts with the layer underneath. Any bumps in the subfloor, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can lead to a lumpy end result that is unattractive and possibly at greater risk of damage.

    In some cases, you might only need to give it a good sweep and fill in a few minor cracks and chips. If you find a much more deteriorated and uneven subfloor, however, your best bet is using a concrete grinder or an appropriate floor sanding tool from Kennards Hire. Once you're certain your surface is as smooth and even as possible, you're ready to start the laying process proper.

    Step 2: Measuring your carpet

    One of the most crucial parts of laying new carpet is taking accurate measurements. If your dimensions miss the mark by even a small amount, it can disrupt the smoothness of your installation, and is difficult to deal with after the fact.

    To make sure you have a little leeway, cut a few centimetres more than what you need for your space. You can trim off whatever excess you have, which is much easier than adding pieces in when you don't have enough!

    Step 3: Laying your carpet

    Once you've cut your required lengths of carpet, the laying can finally begin. You should opt to use some form of adhesive or tack strips to affix each piece in place before actually stapling them down, as this will make it easier to get tightly in against the walls for that professional quality.

    When you are ready to permanently affix each piece, use a knee-kicker carpet stretcher to forcefully stretch one edge of the floor covering right up to the wall. Whichever adhesive option you went with will hold the edge in place, allowing you to trim off any excess and get a perfectly smooth line across the wall.

    If you're laying carpet over wood, you might consider giving yourself that extra secure grip by stapling the edges down with a stapling gun, but for concrete floors your tack strip should be enough to do the job.

    After locking down that first edge, you're free to roll out each piece to its end point. You will need to use your carpet stretcher once again, getting each piece as taut as possible before affixing it to your tack strip and stapling. As you can see, quite a lot goes into laying each individual piece, but the more you do it, the easier it should get.

    Step 4: Finishing touches

    Once you've laid out and adequately affixed each piece, you will want to go around all of the edges of your new carpet trimming and tidy up any spots that aren't as neat as they could be. Some particularly finicky areas might include wall joins and doorways, so pay them some extra attention.

    As with any DIY project, carpeting can sometimes be messy work. You could finish up your perfectly even, smooth and tight floor covering job, only to be disappointed with the amount of dust and grime sullying your floor's appearance.

    In this instance, once the carpet has been allowed a little time to settle, you might want to give it a thorough cleaning. Thankfully, Kennards Hire has you covered for this task as well, with a selection of vacuum cleaners, carpet and fabric cleaners, as well as carpet dryers. Once everything is smooth, clean and dry, you can finally start to move your furniture (and family) back in, and begin to get the full enjoyment out of your new floors.

    If you think you're up to the task of laying down your own carpet, come and speak to Kennards Hire. We have the equipment and expertise you need to get the job done right. 

    Nathan Mills portrait image
    Nathan Mills
    Nathan is a seasoned Kennards Hire team member passionate about empowering DIYers in their projects. He loves everything DIY and brings together years of equipment and project experience to help customers get the right tools for their next job.